AP English Language and Composition Flashcards: Explaining strategy and effect in commentary
Written by AP Content Team, Verified for 2026 AP Exams, Last updated: May 2026
Review key ideas with interactive flashcards. This set includes 10 cards to help you master important concepts.
In writing commentary, what must you explain about an author's strategic choice?
You must explain how the author's choice contributes to their purpose by affecting the audience or developing the argument's line of reasoning.
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In writing commentary, what must you explain about an author's strategic choice?
You must explain how the author's choice contributes to their purpose by affecting the audience or developing the argument's line of reasoning.
How do a writer's choices, line of reasoning, and purpose interrelate?
A writer makes strategic choices to build a coherent line of reasoning, which is structured to logically and persuasively achieve the writer's overall purpose.
How can you improve the commentary "The author uses statistics" to explain strategy and effect?
Explain how those specific statistics function as evidence to logically support a claim, enhance credibility (ethos), or appeal to the audience's sense of reason (logos).
What does the sequence of paragraphs in a text reveal about the author's strategy?
The sequence of paragraphs reveals the argument's line of reasoning, showing the specific path the author has constructed to lead the reader to their conclusion.
Why is it insufficient to only identify a rhetorical choice without explaining its effect in commentary?
Simply identifying a choice demonstrates observation, while explaining its effect demonstrates analytical understanding of how that choice serves the author's purpose and line of reasoning.
What is a line of reasoning in an argument?
A line of reasoning is the sequence of claims that work together to support and defend the overarching thesis of an argument.
If a writer presents a conclusion first, what is a likely strategic effect of this choice?
This strategy immediately establishes the author's position, providing a clear lens through which the audience will interpret the subsequent evidence and reasoning.
In rhetorical analysis, what is the function of commentary?
Commentary explains the connection between a writer's specific rhetorical choices and why they made those choices to achieve a particular purpose or effect on an audience.
What are two common ways a writer can structure their line of reasoning in relation to their conclusion?
A writer may lead readers through a line of reasoning to arrive at a conclusion, or they may present the conclusion first and then provide the supporting reasoning.
What is meant by an author's "purpose" in an argument?
An author's purpose is what they are trying to achieve with their text, such as persuading, informing, refuting, or calling an audience to action.